Wine Basics - Red Wine
Red wine and grapes - styles and characteristics
There are just as many flavour profiles among red wines as white. Some grapes, like the cabernet sauvignon, take quite easily to a variety of growing conditions, while others, such as the pinot noir, seem unhappy anywhere outside their home in Burgundy. A few places are starting to produce credible pinot noirs, notably in cool climates such as Oregon, on the northwest coast of the United States, and on the south island of New Zealand.
| Cabernet Sauvignon |
the classic Bordeaux wine grape. A "serious" wine, with intensity and ageing potential which marries very well with the flavour of oak. blackcurrant, cedar, pencil shavings, peppers, mint, chocolate, tobacco. |
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| Merlot |
the 2nd great grape of Bordeaux- most Bordeaux is a blend of these 2 grapes along with small amounts of some others. It is very rich, plummy, spicy grape which lends softness to the sometimes rather serious cabernet. plums, roses, spice, fruit-cake, blackcurrant, pencil shavings |
| Pinot Noir |
The great red grape of Burgundy. It is a very fragrant and should be silky with heady fruit and sometimes gamey complexity. raspberries, strawberries, cherries, violets, roses, game, compost, manure |
| Syrah |
the great red grape of the Rhone. Planted outside France it is known as the Shiraz. Huge and complex, rich, spicy and "manly". raspberries, blackberries, pepper, cloves, spice, leather, game, tar, |
| Cabernet Franc | green peppers, blackcurrant, leaves, chocolate |
| Gamay | the grape of Beaujolais. Beaujolais-style wines employ a unique method of fermentation called Carbonic Maceration, or whole berry fermentation, which produces light-bodied and coloured wine that is fruity, low in tannin and made for early drinking. |
| Sangiovese | the grape of Chianti. Full, firm, dry, spicy, tobacco and herbs. |
| Tempranillo | the grape of Rioja, usually with plenty of spicy, vanilla oak. |
| Zinfandel | unique to California. Its origins are a mystery, but it is believed to be descended from the Italian primitivo. Full-blooded, spicy, powerful, alcoholic. |
Red wine tasting terms and descriptors
There are even more words for tallking about red wines, largely because red wines can cover such a variety of colours, textures, aromas and tastes. A few examples are listed below:
| Austere | tannic; lacking fruit. The wine is too young, or too severe in style |
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| Baked | from a hot climate. Not necessarily bad, but can mean "not fresh" |
| Coarse | rough and ready - should be cheap |
| Dense | positive. Solid colour and packed with flavour |
| Earthy | tastes of earth but can also mean simple and rustic |
| Finesse | used for wines of high quality, showing a silky and refined nature |
| Firm | a positive term for a wine with a good balance of tannins and acid |
| Flabby | not a compliment. The wine is over-oaked, or lacking acidity |
| Green | raw & un-ripe, often a characteristic of cabernets from poor years |
| Grip | used as a positive term for young wines with good tannins |
| Heavy | full-bodied and alcoholic, usually means too alcoholic: out of balance |
| Jammy | not a compliment. Too obviously fruity without great finesse |
| Meaty | rich & full-bodied, maybe literally with an aroma of meat |
| Silky | smooth, velvety mouth feel. Usually the sign of a quality wine |
| Stalky | bitter tannins evident. A fault in some pinot noirs and cabernets |
| Structure | very positive. Is balanced, well made and will last. |
| Thin | lacking some flavour and usually some weight in the mouth. |
Here are some descriptive words often used to conjure up the flavours and scents of red wine:
| Blackcurrant | along with cedar, the classic Bordeaux/cabernet taste |
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| Cabbage | mature Burgundy. This cabbage smell is a positive aspect! |
| Coffee | comes from well integrated oak, associated with top-quality wines |
| Green Pepper | a distinctive note of the two cabernet grapes |
| Leather | classic shiraz, tough, big, spicy |
| Liquorice | many full-bodied, tannic young wines |
| Olives | usually slightly under-ripe cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc |
| Pepper | Rhone wines are often very peppery on the tongue |
| Spice | many "big" reds, including Rhone, Zinfandel and Rioja |
| Strawberry | Beaujolais & lighter Burgundy |
| Tar | a heady, rich wine, probably from a hot climate |
| Tobacco | a lovely rich, warm taste from good Bordeaux |
| Vanilla | oak ageing |